


Reckless Memories

by AuroraDerall



Category: Wild ARMs
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, Gen, Just the barest hint of M/M snuck in what the hell author?, Post-Canon, Reminiscing, Slice of Life, Slight fluff?, Zed is still the best of the Grim Reaper's Pen Pals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 16:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17063420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraDerall/pseuds/AuroraDerall
Summary: After some training with Rudy and Zed, Jack gets caught up in nostalgia and shares a small anecdote about himself and Elmina in his trainee days.





	Reckless Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lady_Harken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Harken/gifts).



 

 

As the clang of sword against swords ceased ringing across the field near the entrance plaza, the practice match just barely ended in a draw.

 

After all three took a moment to catch their breaths, Zed grinned and was first to speak. “Damn, either I’m losing my edge or your fast draw’s becoming even scarier, Jack! How did you manage to hold off both Rudy and me this long?!”

 

Jack pushed his blond bangs away from his face to wipe sweat from his brow. “Ah, you think so? Pretty sure I could’ve done better though,” he laughed, still panting a little.

 

Rudy smiled. This visit to Saint Centour to oversee the slow, but continued rebuilding efforts of the town had provided an excellent opportunity for their group to catch up, and a much-needed break for him, Jack, and Cecilia in their travels exploring Filgaia’s process of rebirth and renewal.

 

Zed seemed to have really found his place here, providing much-needed protection for the town while it was still being cleaned out of monsters and having new defenses built, and company for Aura, the lone survivor of the original townsfolk.

 

“Thanks again for coming and helping me practice! I’m still trying to get used to avoiding excessive force and all, but then I worry I won’t be as much of a total Badass Hero for Hire when it’s needed because I have no one tough enough often.”

 

Jack snorted for a second at Zed’s self-description. The guy just kept coming up with odd turns of phrase, that much hadn’t changed. _But, I suppose this’ his way of saying he’s sometimes a bit lonely._

 

A sliver of a memory came to Jack’s mind, and then a small pang of bittersweet pain.

 

_Loneliness… that’s a feeling I think all of us know too well by now..._

 

Rudy interrupted Jack’s train of thought. “Is everything alright?” he asked, giving Jack an inquisitive look.

 

“Ah… sorry!” Jack shook his head. “It’s just… I guess I was reminded of back when I used to train under the Chief and all. Sometimes we had these two-against-one matches as well.” He gave a wistful smile. “I guess getting to have this match with you two and then chatting it up afterwards made me nostalgic.

 

Rudy returned Jack’s faint smile. “So… that was one way you got to share time with her then?” This was still obviously a delicate subject for him at times, but Rudy figured maybe getting Jack to be less tight-lipped about it would help.

 

Jack nodded, deep in thought again. “Yeah.” Then he added, “Actually, that’s kinda when I started trying to get her attention, too.”

 

Zed cocked his head to one side in curiosity. “Hmm?” Although he didn’t know Jack and Cecilia as well as Rudy did, he’d gotten familiar with them enough to know who they were referring to.

 

Jack sat down by a tree and chuckled, still reliving his memory. “Ah well, if you don’t mind hearing me sound like some old man?”

 

Rudy answered for the both of them. “Sure,” and sat down beside Jack, with Zed following suit.

 

“Alright. Well, when we were training under Chief Coldbird, I was a bit of a reckless guy, you know?”

 

“Jack, reckless? GASP. NO WAY,” came a squeak from beside the base of the tree. It seemed Hanpan had arrived quietly at some point during the conversation and had only made his presence known then.

 

“Oh, hey, when you’d show up?” Jack asked. “Also, you mind not heckling my story right from the start, you jackass?”

 

“Just a minute ago, no big deal. I was gonna let you know that Cecilia was almost done with her work with the guys setting up the new Sorcery Guild and was gonna meet up with us for dinner soon.” Hanpan crawled up into one of Jack’s coat pockets and peeked out of it. “And you know I only heckle you so you don’t go full maudlin on me, right?”

 

Jack scratched behind one of Hanpan’s ears. “Yeah, yeah. I’m alright, I swear.” He smiled, Hanpan still tried to look out for him, even if he had a lippy way of doing so.

 

“Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, so like I said, when I was training under Chief Coldbird, I was a bit of a… okay, _a lot_ more of a reckless guy.” Jack adjusted his comment at Hanpan’s cough, much to Rudy and Zed’s chuckles. “I was one of the greenest of the rookies, and Elmina’s this amazing overachiever at the academy, to the point I was kinda jealous of her confidence.

 

“So, I start trying to take on bigger challenges than what I was being assigned, just to prove I’m more than just regular military material. I start getting known as a bit of a cocky daredevil, even though I passed all my routine practice exams. And then, when we were far enough ahead in our training, we rookies started having matches going against Commander Ryan weekly… I went and did something pretty stupid for a greenhorn, which was to challenge him to a two-on-one, and that he could pick whoever he wanted.”

 

“Sounds like you were gonna get it,” Zed said, nodding. “I’d know, even a Paragon of Cool like me has taken some hard knocks!”

 

Jack tried not to laugh at Zed. “He picks Elmina, and since it’s the first time I was challenging someone to such a match, I of course lost, only being able to hold them both off for a minute or two. But since I HAD to show off, I actually went and said to her _‘I’m impressed! But if you want to seduce me, you’re going to have to do better than that.’_ ”

 

There was a moment of silence, and then Hanpan and Rudy groaned.

 

“Oh man, even I hadn’t heard this one yet!” said Hanpan amidst squeaks that sounded like what passes as guffaws coming from a mouse.

 

Rudy had his palm against his face in disbelief, blushing. “That… kind of sounds like something Zed has said to me,” he answered between trying to control a fit of laughter at the thought of a younger Jack doing the same thing.

 

Zed was the only one who seemed sincerely wowed by the whole story. “Of course it’d be! Only a Lord of Suave knows how to ask for a rematch like that.”

 

“Wait… Zed, that’s your idea of how to ask for a rematch?” Rudy asked in disbelief.

 

“Well, yeah! Words like those carry only the truest Spirit of Manliness and Bravado.” Zed nodded enthusiastically, grinning wide.

 

Everyone else facepalmed.

 

Rudy muttered something to himself. Jack could barely make it out, but it seemed like something along the lines of “you jerk… why do you have to be this…” before being unable to hear the rest.

 

Hanpan decided to bring things back to the subject at hand. “So what happened?”  
  
“Oh, I got reprimanded for what I said, and I apologized, but she also accepted having a rematch.” Jack answered. “After managing to do better on that one, Elmina actually came to me and requested I be her sparring partner from then on.”

 

“She _what?_ ” Hanpan’s voice was incredulous.

 

“Uh, well, as ridiculous as it sounds, she did. When she came to ask me to train with her, I asked her why, since I figured she HAD to be pissed at the whole thing, and her answer was interesting.

 

“She said, _‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m still annoyed at the earlier incident, but you caught my attention by the boldness behind it. I think it’s something a lot of our fellow cadets are missing. You, however, seem pretty determined once you set your mind to things, even if you have a weird and not the most formally disciplined way of going about it. Your sword certainly does not lie about this. Perhaps that resoluteness could even become real courage someday.’_

 

“To say I was surprised is an understatement. Her words were sharp and all, but also told me she did see me as someone with potential to be a fellow knight. I was humbled.”

 

“Wow. So you two got along better after that?” Hanpan asked.

 

“Well, people would’ve told you I was still kind of a smartass at everyone, but I did start taking my desire to prove myself a bit more seriously.” Jack absently fiddled with the ribbon tying the ends of his long hair, “Especially to her... even more so once we confessed to each other when we were closer to graduation that, however oddly we got to that point, we actually had fallen for each other.”

 

Rudy smiled sadly when he noticed the ribbon Jack was using then.

 

After they’d come across the reborn Elmina at the pub in Milama shortly before their assault on Marduke and the fall of Ka Dingel, Jack had attempted to give it to her, but she -- who had no memory of her past due to Jack’s own choice in the matter -- refused it, apparently noticing its importance to Jack. Later on Rudy would learn the ribbon was once Elmina’s own property, and that Jack had simply been trying to fulfill its return as per her former self’s last request.

 

“...the times we’ve stopped in Milama since then, you’ve dropped by the pub, right?”

 

“Once or twice, yeah. She isn’t always on a work shift when I’ve gone, but I’ve caught up with hearing about her welfare. She’s been pretty happy there, even with having to discipline drunks.”

 

“So, then maybe…”

 

“...no. I was the one who chose things this way when we spoke with Dan Dairam, Rudy. I knew what it would entail, and I’m not going back on it. She has a right to a better life.”

 

Rudy sighed. “I suppose, but…”

 

Jack stopped him. “...hey.”

 

Rudy looked at Jack questioningly.

 

“Don’t worry so much about me.” Jack said softly. “Just because I’m not chasing her down doesn’t mean I’ve given up. I may not want her to have to live with her past with the Fenril Knights or with Garett, and have to bear the darkness of Lady Harken, but maybe... Someday, I might be lucky enough to be graced by the winds of hope again and get to know her again as Jack.”

 

Rudy couldn’t help but look relieved, and nodded.

 

Jack smiled fondly. “Besides, I’ve still got a family here in you all, right?”

 

Rudy’s face brightened considerably, and he smiled widely.

 

“Oh man, you really are the corniest,” Hanpan sniffed.  “And _we’re the guys with Zed._ ”

 

“That’s ri-- _hey!_ ”

 

The four of them got up and started laughing in unison as Cecilia arrived to join them for dinnertime.

 

-End-

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s notes:
> 
> \- I used the name Aura for the surviving girl from Saint Centour even though if I recall correctly, that was from Alter Code: F and in original-flavor WA1 she wasn’t a named character. Just hoping to make things easier for anyone reading.
> 
> \- I wish to thank my betas: [redacted until reveal], for the quick job getting fixes for this story to read properly, and especially for the title, which is a lot stronger than what I was coming up with; and [redacted until reveal] for the quick fixes with the nested quote and for the pep talk.
> 
>  
> 
> For Lady_Harken:
> 
> I apologize for my lateness in delivering this! It’s only like the third fic I’ve ever finished (and the first one I’m sharing on AO3) and the perfectionist in me doesn’t allow me to feel very confident in it.
> 
> Since your Dear Author letter left things completely open for me to decide on what to do, there were several different little things and different small angles I wanted to try doing with the characters (in terms of any possible ships, at least), but they all seemed to fizzle, even though I more or less knew I wanted to focus on Jack in this case.
> 
> So I mostly went with attempting a more gen piece with Jack sharing a small memory of his time with Elmina that fluctuates between being silly in tone and being bittersweet. I did seem to wind up sneaking in a little Rudy/Zed potential in the matter though, ahaha… I hope that’s alright!
> 
> Anyway, I hope this is something you find fun! Happy Yuletide!
> 
> -Your Yuletide Writer


End file.
